Industry watchers believe that if Samsung acquires Nuance with its key voice-recognition technology, it could pose a serious threat to Apple.

The company is valued at US$6 billion. If the deal goes through, it would mark the largest acquisition for Samsung so far. However, a Samsung spokesman denied knowledge of the buyout rumors.

Leading the sale is notorious corporate raider Carl Icahn, who bought a 19-percent stake in Nuance in March this year. Industry insiders suspect Nuance staff were behind the rumor in a bid to boost the value of the company.